Van Gisbergen outlines 'safest' tyre strategy

Starting Albert Park races on the Soft tyre is the "safest" option to secure a result, says Shane van Gisbergen.

Friday’s Race 6, won by Chaz Mostert, featured varying tyre strategies.

Several drivers encountered blistering on the Soft tyre, including pole-sitter David Reynolds.

Reynolds was one of 12 drivers to start on the Soft tyre, with 13 on the Hard.

Such was the blistering, that nine cars that started on Hards and switched to Softs would later revert back to Hards.

Van Gisbergen benefited from the drama to finish third, having started 23rd.

The Albert Park layout features a number of sweeping high load corners; the more cars slide, the more the tyres generate heat.

Anton De Pasquale encountered tyre dramas

A lack of practice running, amplified by the truncated Practice 1, ensured drivers had little time to get a read on the resurfaced circuit.

Having witnessed the topsy-turvy events, van Gisbergen was adamant starting the race on Softs is the way to go.

"The safest option now is to take the Hard [tyre at the pit stop]," he explained.

"If you get a Safety Car on lap 2… you’ve got to start on the Soft.

"If you start on the Hard and go to the Soft, you can’t do the whole race on it.

"I think everyone will start Soft tomorrow and see how far they can get and put the Hard on, that’s the safest option.

"Other people might do the opposite and go for glory."

'The safest option now is to take the Hard'

Drivers claimed tyres were delaminating, although there was only one distinct failure.

Late on, Anton De Pasquale notably suffered a front-left tyre failure while in a podium position.

For van Gisbergen, it was a reminder of how tyres behave at the similarly designed Tailem Bend circuit.

"It’s like Tailem Bend with the new seal and the high loads," van Gisbergen explained.

"I remember we had that problem at Tailem on the Softs. It’s the same thing.

"I kind of had a feeling it would be hard on the tyres from what we saw in practice, but not to the extent that it was."

The Beaurepaires Melbourne 400 will continue with Race 7 at 10:25am AEST on Saturday.